The Long Way Home
by Dragon'sHost
Summary: When Lucy receives a letter regarding the affairs of her late father, it sparks off the start of a new adventure for her. One full of self-discovery, friendship, and much-needed healing.
1. Chapter 1

**Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!**

**Originally, I was going to post something different (and much, much angstier) on this day, but I feel like it's time I started working on this story that's been in my mind for well over a year, now.**

**At the moment, there is no pairing planned. It's mostly going to focus on friendship and healing. If a relationship is to happen, it will happen organically, as the story unfolds and the characters grow.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

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Grunts of frustration filled the entranceway of the building, as Lucy struggled in vain with her mailbox. The padlock had been removed, but now the metal hasp refused to budge, no matter how she jiggled it. The latch jamming on the locking hook, it remained steadfast in its denial. This was the last thing Lucy needed today. She'd spent the entire day on her feet, first in helping to clean up the debris from the destroyed guildhall during the morning, and then she'd gone job hunting in the afternoon. Now all she wanted was to get her mail, climb into her bathtub, and soak her worries away.

She was a powerful mage. A simple mailbox lock shouldn't be giving her so much trouble!

"What is all that racket?" grouched a voice behind her.

Lucy let out a squeak, and spun around to face the short, stout woman behind her. "Landlady!" she greeted with a nervous smile. The woman was still more than a little bit intimidating, especially when she was scowling. "The hasp is stuck on my mailbox, so I'm having a little bit of trouble opening it."

Nearly pushing the blonde teenager aside, the building owner approached the mailbox. Then she slammed the middle of it with her fist, and the hasp obediently popped open. "Just need to remind it who's boss," the woman informed her.

"Thank you so much," Lucy told her, relieved that she could finally go upstairs now.

Her landlady, already heading back to her own apartment on the first floor, gave her a short wave. "Don't forget about the rent in two weeks."

Just like that, Lucy's relief turned to despair. "Yeah… I won't forget," she promised. Opening up the box, she removed her mail, and then shut and reattached the small padlock to it once more. Lucy walked up the stairs, the muscles in her legs and back protesting mightily from the extra exertion. Once she was inside of her apartment, she tossed the mail on her table without bothering to look through it, and made a beeline for the bathroom door. Shower first, bills later.

As she sank into the blessedly hot water, Lucy let out a sigh, the warmth seeping into her aching muscles. Doing hard labor in the mornings for the past week had taken its toll on her. But it had done a rather decent job of keeping her mind off of other things. At least… until nightfall hit, and the distractions were gone.

Fairy Tail… was no more.

It wasn't just that the guildhall was gone, though that hurt immensely all by itself. Lucy had helped her friends rebuild it in the wake of Phantom Lord's attack years ago, had placed timbers and painted the doors. It hurt, picking up those same, broken stones and beams, seeing the shattered remains of a place she'd called home.

But what hurt the worst… was the absence of her friends.

Most of her guildmates had packed up and left town quickly, after Makarov disbanded them. Some moved on to join other guilds, and others… well, who even knew, really. Only the few that lived in Magnolia itself remained for longer. Macao and Wakaba had families and homes, and so had stayed. She saw them sometimes, and Romeo as well, while clearing up the guildhall's lifeless corpse – although she'd made a point of not staying for long in their company. It just… hurt too much.

Then there were those that had left even before the guild had disbanded.

Aquarius.

Natsu.

Lucy's first spirit, and her first human friend.

She shivered despite the warmth of the water, curling her knees to her chest and pressing her forehead into them. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Lucy had done all she could to hold onto her friends, the family she'd chosen. And yet she'd lost them all, anyway.

Facing her spirits was too painful. How could she look at them, when she had sacrificed one of them to save herself? How was she supposed to talk to them, now? How could she promise to never abuse them, when she'd done something utterly unforgivable? Lucy had no idea of where to even begin.

Then there was the letter that Natsu had left behind in her apartment. The letter that had broken something inside of her. It wasn't fair of him, to tell her look after everyone. There was no way she could keep that promise, fulfill his expectation of her. She'd already broken every belief she held when Aquarius's key was shattered. When she'd sacrificed someone she'd care about deeply, the only connection she'd had left to her mother.

It wasn't lost on her either how hypocritical Natsu was in leaving that letter. Wasn't it he who had lectured her once, on the same thing? This wasn't what _friends_ were supposed to do. Yet he'd gone and done the exact thing he'd told her wasn't okay. And there was nothing she could do about it, because she had no idea where he was.

She was all alone, once again.

The eternal adventure had finally ended, and mundane reality was all that Lucy had left.

When the water had cooled, Lucy carefully pushed herself up and stepped out of the bath. She dried off and exited the bathroom, still toweling off her hair. It didn't matter if she was naked or not in her own apartment. There was no one to burst in on her unannounced anymore.

God, Lucy had never once thought that she would _miss_ that. But the truth was that she would give anything for one of her friends to come waltzing in as if they paid the rent themselves. She'd put up with their shenanigans, and their too-loud voices, just to have them in her life once more.

She shook her head furiously and dropped her towel in the laundry basket along with her clothes. Dwelling on the hurt wouldn't help her deal with the here and now, as she knew from experience. There were bills to pay, and a job hunt to conduct so that she could pay them.

Pulling out an outfit from her closet, she dressed quickly in something light to ward off the sweltering night. Summer was in full force, and it took no prisoners. Hopefully she could pick up a job that would enable her to buy a halfway decent fan.

Lucy knew that most of her money problems would be solved if she would just… _join_ another guild. It wasn't as if she didn't have friends in Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus. She was sure she'd be welcomed with open arms, even in Sabertooth or Mermaid Heel. But she would have to remove her Fairy Tail emblem for that, and the thought of doing that hurt in a way that she couldn't articulate. It felt like another betrayal, and she just couldn't stomach it. Not so soon.

With a heavy sigh, she plopped into a chair and reached for the pile of mail. Avoiding it for a couple of days had left her with a decent amount of spam mail to filter through, and she tossed aside more than half of the pile to dispose of later. The newest issue of Sorcerer Weekly magazine she set aside to read later, although the large front cover splash of the ruins of her guild promised that it would be a hard one.

Then she came upon a curious letter, her name and address handwritten across the envelope with a postmark from Acalypha. Opening the envelope carefully, Lucy removed the letter and unfolded it.

The first thing that caught her eye was the logo, for Love And Lucky. The guild her father had been a part of, where her parents had met.

Curiosity piqued further, she began to read.

.

_Dear Ms. Heartfilia,_

_Please accept our sincerest condolences for the passing of Mr. Jude Heartfilia, and the lateness of these greetings. He was a much valued member of our guild, and his passing is felt keenly by all of us who knew him._

_We are contacting you because, as the legal heir to Mr. Heartfilia's estate, you are entitled to the property he secured at our guild prior to his passing. We hope you will understand the odd circumstances regarding your status as a missing person that delayed the timely implementation of this process._

_We will hold Mr. Heartfilia's effects for thirty days after the date of this letter. You may stop by the Love And Lucky main branch in Acalypha at any time during this period to collect Mr. Heartfilia's effects as well as to process the paperwork regarding their release into your custody. Please note that this process will take a couple hours of your time._

_We wish you the best in this trying time._

_Sincerely,_

_Ortez Vrillic  
Guild Master  
Love And Lucky Merchant Guild_

_._

Lucy stared, dumbfounded, at the letter. Now, of all times? This was only just now arriving? There was late, but this… this was _beyond_ late. She'd been back from Tenrou for several months, and had visited the Love And Lucky guild almost immediately upon her return.

Remembering that visit didn't do her any favors, as it only drew forth her memories of Natsu and Happy when they went with her, and when they jointly discovered the treasure trove of gifts her father had left for her over the past seven years.

Should she go? It might be a painful trip. And given that her father had sent over seven years' worth of rent in one go, he might not have much of value left to his name. But then again… it might be important, or sentimental. The letter stated that he had 'secured' his things there, meaning a vault or some other sort of strongroom or safe.

Double-checking the date, Lucy thought over when would be the best time to go. She didn't feel right leaving the city before the guild debris was all cleared out, but it shouldn't take too much longer to accomplish that. Most of it was already taken care of, and what remained would be repairs to the lot. There was also talk of a monument. Maybe a week left of work, tops.

That settled it, then. She would go early in the day, a week from now.

And she would see just what her father had left behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Today was the first day of April's Camp Nanowrimo! I'll be pretty much be incommunicado for most of this month, just a head's up. Also the CoLu Week 2019 details are up on my profile page.**

**I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

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It was fortunate that the Love And Lucky Guild had thought to send a second notice to Lucy, as by the time it had arrived, she had completely forgotten about the first. In her defense, the final touches on Fairy Tail's final resting place had taken a good deal out of her, an additional week longer than she had anticipated. The monument, in particular, had been brutal to decide upon. To her surprise, she discovered afterward that it had been Macao and Wakaba who had dealt with the inscription for it. It made sense in hindsight. They were part of the few that had stuck around, and they had been with the guild for a very long time, after all. But it had seemed almost out of character for them despite that. It didn't completely mesh with the mental image that Lucy had of them.

Really, though, it only drove home the point that Lucy hardly knew the others at the guild at all. The only people she'd really known were the members of her own team.

But then again, Natsu had proven to her just how untrue that assumption had been, hadn't he? If she didn't know her first friend at the guild well enough to predict how he would react to Igneel's death, then she couldn't claim to know anyone at all, could she?

Things that she would have liked to have known, or asked them, occurred to her almost hourly. She wondered if Gajeel had a preferred metal that he liked to eat – like Natsu with flames – or if it all tasted the same to him. She wanted to know the story of how Levy, Jet, and Droy became a team. She didn't know what type of _magic_ Kinana used, for goodness' sake! Or if Bickslow and Evergreen even _had _last names!

It was a persistent sort of hurt, the kind she couldn't begin to recover from because as soon as it left her mind for a moment, something would happen, or her thoughts would stray, and then she'd be hit by it all over again. It was akin to being repeatedly sucker punched multiple times a day with no forewarning.

Probably didn't help that Magnolia was full of memories with her friends, either.

So getting out of town for a day sounded exactly like the thing Lucy needed most right now.

That, and her rent was coming due in a day or two and Lucy was mildly terrified of facing her landlady after promising to have it ready in time, and then… not having it after all. It hurt to think of breaking another promise. Especially to someone that had been very kind to her, all things considered. Hopefully there would be a little money left amongst her father's things or a valuable that she could sell to help her squeak by until she found a proper job. If push came to shove, she would pay what she could, and dig out her fishing rod so that she would be able to eat afterward.

Scraping together her pocket change, Lucy took the early morning train to Acalypha.

It wasn't a particularly long train ride. Just a couple of hours. As the scenery flew past the window, Lucy wondered which direction Natsu had taken in his journey. He would have gone on foot, of course. No public transportation for him. Lucy snorted. If she had known which direction he had taken, she could have taken the train and headed him off along the way. Then again… maybe not. He had Happy along with him. And Natsu's stamina was something altogether terrifying. Besides which, it didn't seem like her company was wanted.

Hadn't been wanted by anyone, at all, as it turned out.

Why hadn't she gone with someone? It was a question that Lucy had asked herself repeatedly over the past few weeks, and yet she was no closer to an answer. She didn't know why she didn't ask one of her teammates if she could tag along to wherever their paths took them. They probably wouldn't have begrudged such a request. And yet she'd been unable to make it. Not to a single person.

Instead, she'd stayed, near the wreckage of the guild. Refused to go anywhere else.

Ah, no. It was a lie to say that she didn't know why. Lucy did know. All too well.

If her best friend hadn't wanted her around, why would anyone else?

It was far easier to stay near the place that had made her feel like she was loved, rather than test the actual strength of those bonds. In Lucy's experience, such things always came up short to her expectations and hopes. So it was better to not be disappointed, and cling to her illusions.

When the train pulled into the Acalypha Station, it startled Lucy something bad. So wrapped up in her thoughts, she had somehow missed the announcement for it. That was embarrassing. Grabbing her wallet – the only thing she'd chosen to bring with her aside from the letter from Love And Lucky and her keys – Lucy disembarked the train. Stepping out of the station and into the morning light, Lucy squinted at how bright it was. Summer was at its height now, and the heat was already starting to bore down upon her. With any luck, the guild would be air conditioned. Or so Lucy told herself as she started off in the general direction of the place.

It was located just off the main thoroughfare, if she recalled correctly. Acalypha was a busy place, with the streets already packed full of people. Lucy wondered if that was normal for a weekday, or…

Lucy stopped in her tracks, the other pedestrians parting around her like river water around a rock.

What day of the week was it?

This was something she should have known. Something she should never have had to question. Lucy was meticulous about keeping track of the days. Her contract with her spirits, and especially Aquarius depended on-

Oh. Right.

Her legs felt too heavy to move, and a similar weight pressed upon her chest, choking off her airflow.

She wouldn't get to see Aquarius ever again.

It wasn't as if the spirit had ever been nice to her. On the contrary. She'd been downright cruel at times. But the mermaid had been one of the few reminders that Lucy had had left of her mother, and Lucy had depended on her for a very long time. Since childhood, in fact. The spirit had had a place in Lucy's heart, all the same. And now that place lay vacant, and the edges tender.

Lucy had loved her. Still loved her.

Forcing her feet to move once more, Lucy kept her eyes on the ground. She could feel the press of people around her, even with as much breathing room as there actually was. Their eyes were on her, surely. The strange girl that had stopped in the middle of the road, blocking foot traffic. Her cheeks burned with shame, and she hurried as best she could through the crowd. The sooner she got to Love & Lucky, the better.

Despite the yet still early hour, the guild was already a center of activity – a far cry from when she'd visited it a few months ago. A steady stream of people were filtering in and out of the guild, and standing around wagons parked along the side with work orders in hand. There was a hustle and bustle about the place that appealed to Lucy, and noises from the wagon beasts and from the merchants talking were soothing to her ears. She felt something inside of her finally unwind its tight coils from around her heart.

It seemed like a good guild, she decided.

After all, it was the place where her parents had met, and where her name came from.


End file.
